For those who don't know (whose ranks included this writer!) a carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a bell tower or belfry and consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are either played serially to produce a melody, or sounded together to play a chord.
According to Wikipedia, "a carillon is played by striking a keyboard - the keys of which are sometimes called batons - with the fists, and by pressing the keys of a pedal keyboard with the feet. The keys mechanically activate levers and wires that connect to metal clappers that strike the inside of the bells, allowing the performer on the bells, or carillonneur, to vary the intensity of the note according to the force applied to the key."
As to the Smith Center carillon, the existence of which we were unaware of prior to receiving this question, it comprises a total of 47 cast bronze bells, housed inside a 17-story tower, which were produced by Verdin of Ohio, a venerable company that's been making bells and clocks since 1842. The Smith Center bells, which collectively weigh over 29,500 pounds, were cast by Verdin in Aarle-Rixtel in the Netherlands.
The helpful member of staff we spoke with at the facility informed us that they can be heard every hour, on the hour, and play the number of the hour itself. Now that we know of its existence, we will definitely check it out next time we're in the vicinity, so we can report what it actually sounds like. Thanks for bring this to our attention!
